Prison officers head off another confrontation

After last Friday’s bloody bout at the Hattieville Correctional Facility, reports of another incident on Sunday raised serious concerns. However, details from inside the prison today are that radio announcements were simply part of the prison’s precautionary measures. Reports are that around 10:00am on Sunday, a prisoner from the maximum-security section refused to go back into his cell. Fearing a repeat performance of the violent confrontation on Friday, prison officials immediately called for backup from the Police, Belize Defense Force and sent messages, via radio stations, to prison wardens to return to work immediately. Governor of the prison Bernard Adolphus was also on the list and he managed to get the situation under control within minutes of his arrival. The Police and BDF did respond, but were not needed. According to prison officials, everything was over and by 10:30am Sunday, visiting day continued as normal for the rest of the day. On Friday, several inmates of the maximum-security section refused to go back into their cells and attacked prison officials with rocks. When the situation escalated, warning shots were fired into the air but that didn’t stop some inmates. Five inmates were shot. One prisoner Cecil Ramos was fatally injured. The men were protesting the reinstitution of whipping at the prison.